Four USA Climbing athletes are returning from Fukuoka, Japan, where the IFSC debuted the Nations Grand Finale. Six nations competed in Boulder and Lead, both of which allowed greater coach interaction than a typical competition, as well as “mixed” routes and problems that men and women competed on.

In Lead, the team–Vail Everett, Declan Osgood, Paloma Slowik, and Zoe Yi–finished third in the Qualification round, punching their ticket to the Final, where they finished fourth. It was a narrow result with USA Climbing’s athletes finishing just a half point behind Israel.

In Boulder, the team finished fifth in the Qualification round, which sent them to an Elimination Heat. There, they secured six tops, including flashes from Vail Everett and Zoe Yi, as well as four zones. Moving along to the Final, the team finished with a total 89.60 points, fishing fourth overall.

“Climbing is usually such an individual sport, but this setup really brought out the team aspect,” Slowik told us after the competition. “I hope it continues to grow in the coming years because it’s a valuable way to learn how to work together.”

Full results from the IFSC Nations Grand Finale Fukuoka 2025 can be found here. You can rewatch the Boulder Elimination, Boulder Final, and Lead Final rounds on the IFSC YouTube Channel.

Follow @usaclimbing on social media for competition updates and behind-the-scenes action.